


Druzhba

by QuietlyImplode



Series: Rescue Me [18]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark Friendship, Protective Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:54:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27637826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuietlyImplode/pseuds/QuietlyImplode
Summary: Natasha and Tony have a chat.__________“You made this for me?” Backing up a bit, feeling a bit unsafe, Tony stands behind his desk in his suit. Tony nods again, unsure of what Natasha’s going to say.“Thanks, Shellhead.” She says quietly.Tony smiles, puts the suit away.“You and I,” he starts, “we have some of the same hurts. You and Clint, have some of the same hurts. Steve, Bruce, we all need to be smarter about how we take care of each other. It’s not rocket science. It’s harder.” He smiles, pats Natasha on the hand.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark
Series: Rescue Me [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984783
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	Druzhba

**Author's Note:**

> Druzhba is a Slavic word that means friendship.

The tower is big. Like find a needle in a bunch of needles big. Natasha can avoid people, staff and teammates (not Clint) and then pop up when she wants to be found. Clint tracks her like a hound at all times, she gets she’s not to be trusted right now, but sometimes she needs some space. The therapist tells her it’s his way of protecting her, that when he steps away and leaves her alone; he’s learning to manage his fears and they need to respect each other in that. Natasha needs to respect by telling him where she’s going and Clint needs to let her; trust her.

So at this very moment, Clint is shooting arrows at the range and Natasha is looking for Tony.

She knows to find him, and in turn Clint knows where to find her.

.

Approaching Tony’s workshop, Natasha pauses and watches him work through the door. He’s definitely working on something, his look of concentration and total obliviousness to the going’s on around him just prove how shit of a spy he would be. Not wanting to interrupt, she opens the door and sits on the couch; opening her phone and scrolling through the news, and social media apps. Sometimes it pays to be appraised of the news, and other times the news has no actual idea of what’s happening. Finishing her peruse, she starts reading her book. Heavily engrossed, but wanting to take a break, she looks up at Tony and finds him dancing whilst trying on a new suit. Curiosity peaked, she calls out. Tony doesn’t care and he doesn’t embarrass easily, so when he notices her he gives an easy smile.

“Check this out!” He says by way of greeting. She watches the suit appear from nowhere, like spiders crawling over his skin. Within the minute he’s in full armour and giving her a thumbs up.

“It works!” He says gleefully, the face plate coming down. Natasha looks at him, confused.

“I don’t get what you’ve done.”

Tony looks scandalized. “I’ve managed to configure the nanotech to add and build things that I might need for a mission - in this case, there’s a first aid kit that can be configured from the bots that are sitting in my forearm plate and then the other bots…” Natasha let’s him ramble. She’s interested, she is, but currently doesn’t have the brain space. Until.

“… and then if,” Tony pauses, looks at Natasha straight in the eye, “when, one of us gets hurt, we can treat injuries in the field, the bad ones any way. It heals cuts and stabilizes bones by splinting it, smaller wounds anyway. And painkillers, so when it happens we can help each other if medical isn’t available.”

“Hang on. You made this?”

Tony nods, looking pleased.

“You made this for me?” Backing up a bit, feeling a bit unsafe, Tony stands behind his desk in his suit. Tony nods again, unsure of what Natasha’s going to say.

“Thanks, Shellhead.” She says quietly.

Tony smiles, puts the suit away.

“You and I,” he starts, “we have some of the same hurts. You and Clint, have some of the same hurts. Steve, Bruce, we all need to be smarter about how we take care of each other. It’s not rocket science. It’s harder.” He smiles, pats Natasha on the hand.

“I came to say thanks.” She starts. “it’s been..” a pause and a sigh. “Rough.”she decides on.

“It’s ok not to be ok,” Tony singsongs. They both smile, and Natasha rolls her eyes.

“Thanks for the therapy,” she retorts. But it’s true; it’s all true, Clint may have got her out, made her safe and kept her safe but Tony’s been his wingman and in-turn kept Clint safe from her or for her. The therapy, the resources; answering the damn phone when Clint called and dropping everything to come and help; even her just having his earpiece, Tony’s kept them safe.

They sit in a comfortable silence and Tony starts tinkering, handing her the Starkpad for the programming, “you’re better at seeing things I can’t,” he comments flippantly, “it’s for an infiltration for Steve, he’s found a Hydra lead but doesn’t want Shield to know just yet.” Interesting.

She points out some obvious mission specs that seem to have gone over the boys heads. Not spies. Things like this have been ground into her since she was 4 are now as natural as breathing.

Stopping, she hands Tony a bottle of water.

“I haven’t been sleeping well,” she starts. Tony looks up sharply. “I tell you this because, this-“ she points to the new suit and the mission tech he’s building for Steve, “tells me that you might be the same.”

Tony smirks. “I don’t sleep, don’t you know?”

“Tony.” She admonishes. “Anything you can do I can do better.”

Natasha sits down, and prompts Tony to do the same, indicating that the conversation isn’t over.

“You want to know what the therapist said when I told her?” Not waiting for a response, Natasha pushes on, “she said that if you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, it doesn’t make you weak to set it down for the night. There’s no rush in recovery and even though I want my triggers gone, there is a predictable cadence to it.” She pauses, baits him. “Do you think I’m weak for going to therapy?”

Tony looks at her.

“No.” He says, bluntly.

“Do you think I’m weak for taking something to help me sleep?”

He rubs his hand over his face, knowing where this is going and having walked right into it.

Tony’s having flashbacks to the monumental meltdown of the last team dinner where Natasha hadn’t slept in days and almost taken half the team out. He’s thankful she’s getting better sleep. That incident plays on his mind, having to restrain her, hold her, whilst Clint talked her down was one of the things that keeps him up. The guilt of it all. “No” he says honestly.

“I spoke to Pepper. She wouldn’t tell me but,” she pushes his shoulder, “I know all.”

“I know, Red. I’m not promising anything. But how about I will try and be more mindful?”

“Would you concede to a bed time alert? Friday could do it? Maybe when Peppers going to bed it could be like a ten minute warning?” Tony knows she’s trying to help, knows she wants to do something for him, because of all he’s done for her, so he agrees. Two of the most important people in his life want him to get more sleep? Maybe he could try.

“No promises.” He says.

Conversation over.

They lapse into easy conversation, gossiping mostly, Clint finds them later, tinkering in the workshop. He smiles easily, and breathes deep. Maybe things are settling.


End file.
